Female representation in the Canadian physician anesthesia workforce: a historical analysis.

Area of Science:

• Medical Workforce Analysis
• Physician Demographics
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Female physician representation in anesthesia is notably lower than in the general physician population.
• Analysis of Canadian physician data reveals persistent gender disparities in anesthesia subspecialties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate trends in female representation among Canadian anesthesia providers.
• To examine gender distribution in Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) specialists, international medical graduates, and family physician anesthetists (FPAs).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Canadian Institutes for Health Information (CIHI) National Physician Database (1996-2018) to analyze sex distribution in urban and rural anesthesia workforces.
• Incorporated the Canadian Post-MD Education Registry database to assess sex distribution of entering physicians.
• Calculated descriptive statistics to identify workforce trends.

Main Results:

• The proportion of female physicians in all anesthesia groups increased from 1996 to 2018.
• Female representation in family physician anesthetists (FPAs) and rural anesthesia providers lagged significantly behind the overall physician population (18.7% and 21.1% vs. 42.1% in 2018).
• Female representation among RCPSC-certified anesthesia graduates rose from 28% in 1996 to 33.5% in 2018.

Conclusions:

• Female physicians are underrepresented across all anesthesia subgroups, with the lowest proportions in FPAs and rural anesthesia.
• Addressing barriers to female physician entry and retention in anesthesia is essential.
• Enhancing sex diversity in clinical teams is linked to improved patient outcomes and is critical given current workforce shortages.